Still on the education scene, school choice. The new Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos is pushing school choice, something that she equates with parents being able to buy what they want at the grocery store. The idea of school choice has been bouncing about for a long time. Sounds good, potentially giving parents the ability to send their children to any school they want. School district boundaries would not be an obstacle.

DeVos, born into a wealthy family, did not attend a public school, in the United States, ever. She is not an educator, holds no teaching credentials, has gone only to private schools, and her children have attended only private schools. Her connection to real public schools is non-existent.

There is no requirement that the Secretary of Education have any experience in education, of any kind. The position is not, after all, a teaching position. It is a political policy position. DeVos may be unique in that she has no personal connection or experience in or with a public school, at any level.

Rolling around to school choice, which in real life terms isn’t much of a choice at all. The overused term “empowering parents” is simply a useless slogan at this point. The variables for most people preclude the ability to trundle off to another school, either in another district or another town or city.

The offer is simply hollow for most people. Choosing another school is one thing. Getting there is another, and that’s the problem. How do you tote your children across town, or to another city, every day, and pick them up, every day, and attend all the conferences, events, and what not that go along with a school community. Choice doesn’t come coupled with either a good, reliable car, or a free bus pass, or extra time in the day, or anything else to make the “choice” possible.

Not only that, but DeVos doesn’t get to dictate that federal tax dollars that go to public schools can be diverted to private religious schools, under the guise of “choice”, which is something that she apparently wants to do. The US Constitution has this annoying bit in it that keeps church and State separate. Simply put, that means federal tax money cannot be diverted to private schools, religious or otherwise.

Devos probably needs to read the Constitution. Her tenure as Secretary of Education may or may not turn out to be good. That remains to be seen, and experienced. What’s probable is that somewhere down the line, the litigation will begin. Separation of church and State is not negotiable, no matter what.

Throw into that mix that the people most interested in this choice business are wealthy, and want to be more wealthy, and they see “school choice” as a way to get that. Follow the money.

With any luck, she, like previous Secretaries of Education, will do as little damage to the public school system as possible. Maybe someday a person with an actual connection to public education can take a shot at running the department. One can only hope.